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SHOCK: Satmar Appears To Have Misled Public With Forged Letter of HaRav Kanievsky Shlita


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Yesterday, YWN reported that HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlita came out against the anti-draft rally organized by Satmar, saying that it would not be beneficial.

According to a letter containing the rabbi’s views written by his sons, the “main thing is to increase Torah learning, the fear of heaven and prayer” as methods of opposing conscription.

Hours later, the Satmarer organizers of the event released a handwritten letter by HaRav Kanievsky shlita in which he calls to listen to the Torah sages and participate in the protest against the IDF-Draft decree.

However, according to the Yiddish blog ‘Kave Shtiebel’ the second letter, apparently written by HaRav Kanievsky, was none other than a photo-shopped document that misleadingly looked authentic by lifting words from a previous handwritten letter, last year.

YWN reached out to Mishpachas Kanievsky, who confirmed that someone forged the Gadol Hador’s handwriting and penned this letter which was then spread on social media, and submitted to YWN for publication.

The forged letter speaks values of the organizers act to delude the purpose of the mass protest, especially the desecration of the name of a Godel HaDor, in attempt to deceive the general, non-affiliated and Yeshiva, public to attend the protest.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

kanievsky #2

Kanievsky letter

(YWN Headquarters – NYC)



50 Responses

  1. Is anyone going to do anything about this massive chutzpah? How about have 25,000 Lakewooders protest in front of the homes of the Satmar rebbes?

  2. so whats the bottom line? what do YOU think? was this gathering a Kiddush Hashem or Vice Versa a chillul Hashem?

    was this about satmar i.e. naturei karta & against zionism or was this about torah & staying in learning?

  3. This headline is HUGELY misleading. The letter was not released by Satmar. Anyone out there can print whatever they want on the internet. It might have been released by someone that sympathizes with the cause, but how can you fault Satamar for the actions of anyone out there?

    The fact that YWN published it, speaks volumes (not values) about the ‘journalitic’ standards at YWN.

  4. Hey Kornbluh, give it up already! Stop beating a dead horse! The Asifa was already. It was a tremendous Kiddush Hashem! Move on! Why don’t you get back to the Mayor’s race?

  5. Can’t understand this attitude. Why does the act of one individual or a few individuals illustrate the “values of the ORGANIZERS”?
    It is indeed a shame that people do something like this in the name of the public. In addition, they don’t realize what harm they are doing to their own people, by causing Jewish media reporters waiting for opportunities to smear Satmar or others not fitting their views and consider this an “organizers” act.
    We need to respect other gedolims views even though they are not the same as ours. (In a side point, I hear that some claim that the whole kpeida not to demonstrate is only within Israel)

  6. just curious. we are all aware of alot of people and groups distorting the words of our Gedolim. Your headline clearly implicates Satmar as doing the forgery. The sons agree that letter “number 3” was a forgery as stated in your report. Where does it say however that Satmar did it? What about letter “number 1” bsheim Reb Chaim Shlita’s sons that was given out by R Elya Ber? Will you now say he forged that as well? and your reporting from a “blog” and making accusations from a “blog”????????? How does that make YWN look???????????

    Moderators Note: This was confirmed by YWN yesterday, not by a “blog”. http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=172117

    The blog source just has the images of where it was ripped from. People know where this was created….

  7. As I said yesterday, anyone and everyone knows that R’ Chaim wouldn’t call the Satmar Rebbes (with all due respect) “גדולי הדור שליט”א”

    I cannot beileve it was really done to really convince any body. Probably just חוצפה לשם חוצפה.

  8. יהודים יקרים , יש כבר צרות יותר מדאי תרחם על עצמיכם ועל בני ביתכם ועל כל עם ישראל ותפסיקו לדבר על ישראל עם הקדוש כמו שאמר הבעש”ט ז”ל שהקב”ה אוהב יותר היהודי הכי גרוע ממה שאנחנו אוהבים הבן הכי טוב שלנו וחייבים ללמד זכות על כל יהודי עד מקום שידינו מגעת ונראה כל אחד מעלת חברנו ולא חסרונם וצריכים לזכור מאמר החכם “מחלוקת אחת דוחה מאה פרנסות” ואל תחפשו לענות ולהתנצל על דברי אלה כי בחייכם הוא ובזה תקרבו הגאולה שלימה שאנחנו מצפים לזה כל כך הרבה וכמה דמעות כבר שפכנו על זה על כן לא תהיו דברים אלה קלה בעיניכם רק בואו ונעשה תשובה כולנו יחד ובזכות זה נזכה כולנו יחד לקבל פני משיח צדקינו בשמחה רבה וגם הוא ישמח אתנו במהרה בימינו אמן

  9. Rachmonim
    “מחלוקת אחת דוחה מאה פרנסות” The irony of this coming from someone trying to defend Satmar is incredible.

  10. Mr. Moderator you seem to have a knack for answering parts of the questions we raise. i asked about R Elya Bers letter which had a clear statement from R Shloima Kanievsky shlita that R Chaim held to go. Letter # 2 then came out retracting. Will you accuse R Elya Ber of forging or misrepresenting R Chaim as well or is politics the answer and everything is fair game?

    Moderators Note: Reb Chaim’s letter where he quotes Rav Shteinman is the ONLY letter written by Rav Chaim. We can’t tell you anything else.

  11. איןף די גנב ברענט די היטל

    Since YWN is the one who pointed out the forgery PERHAPS, its they who forge it, and their motivation was ratings!!!

    Prove me wrong!!!!

    Someone who can say Loshon Horah / Motzi Shem Ra in the worst way, I wouldn’t put anything past them.

    #14 is so right!!!

    I have lost all respect for YWN (no, Im not a Satmarah, Im on the other side of the spectrum, but Loshon Horah is for ALL Jews

    Moderators Note: Oh, we’re just about ready to prove you wrong, and expose the names of the people behind this. Stay tuned.

  12. Amazing, the same organizers that canned the sackcloths lman hasholam, were conniving enough to falsify documents. Or were they? The kava shtiebel claims he figured out by himself how it was forged, but later found an earlier source online that did the same. He does not know who did it.
    YWN has it all figured out. It’s simple: blame Satmar for everything protest related. Satmar called it, virtually only Satmar came, the guy thrown out of Satmar Shul Shabbos for his deranged rantings is obviously Satmar & sanctioned by Satmar. I guess the misnagdim are back.

  13. I wounder when will be the day that we boycot all products that have the hoshgochah (which funds the chillul Hashem) of all satmar chasidus.
    When we respond by hitting them and their supporters where it hurts most (their pocket) the stupidity will end!

  14. Terrible motzi shem ra, YWN. Very misleading- blaming “Satmar” and “the organizers.” Most likely, it was the work of a few immature hotheads. bad thing for them to do, but your exaggeration is highly problematic. Please retract.

  15. It is actually, unfortunately not so shocking for someone to do such a thing. it is however, quite shocking, appalling, and disgusting, to wrongfully besmirch an entire community of tens of thousands erliche jews, among them a great number of talmidei chachomim, rabbonim, roshei yeshivos, etc. The overwhelmingly blatant sinas chimum is simply dispicable beyond words.

  16. Anyone who has followed the sordid history of Satmar would not be shocked given the total absence of any midos as displayed by these two brothers in their ongoing battle in the secular courts that periodically spills over to physical violence between Zalmanites and Aronites. Their shitah is to do whatever it takes to achieve their short-term priorities which generally deal with political power and funding. Offending a gadol hador or gibor yisroel, dismissing the shoah as the fault of the kadoshim, etc. is routine for them so forging a letter is just a means to an ilicit outcome.

  17. Why do you think Satmar did it?

    Who in Satmar cares what he said?

    It was litvishe propegande, to make it sound like everything boils down to what R’ Chaim Kanyevskey said.

    I don’t mean to undermine R’ Chaim Kanyevskey, but Satmar didn’t need him, Satmar Rabbi was a Gadol Hador as anyone else, and for a Satmarer it’s clear what his positions was.

  18. was this about satmar i.e. naturei karta & against zionism or was this about torah & staying in learning?

    DUH, HUH, NU, so what do you think?????? FORMER for sure.

  19. Mr.Moderator again i ask you the question was R Elya Ber lying or misquoting the words of R Shloima Kanievsky??? you seem so flippant and easy when it comes to Satmar and blaming an entire Kehilla and Mamad shel Kidush Hashem bec of your political agenda. Please tell the reading public if R Elya Ber was also fooling around with R Chaim Kanievskys words in the name of his son. The venom coming from you and others is sickening. We have taken Gedoilei Yisroel and cheapened them to the point where anyone can say anything and do anything in their names and get away with it! Your responsibility is not take sides–it is to report the news. The facts and leave all rumors and opinions to yourself. Leave those for the blogs. The fact is that mamad was about the draft. It was not radicaL NETUREI Karta agenda. Of course the draft issue is all about zionism. So what???????????? that wasnt the main thing brought out at the event like you and others would like us to believe. you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!!!!!!

    Moderators Response: “We have taken Gedoilei Yisroel and cheapened them to the point where anyone can say anything and do anything in their names and get away with it,”…….. Exacty why the people who forged an an entire letter in the handwriting of the Gadol Hador must be exposed at all cost. And they will be. Very shortly.

  20. i have never seen such irresponsible reporting in my life!!!!!!!! such distortions!!!!!!!!! of course the ikar was about the draft but you dont need to be a rocket scientist to know that the zionist agenda which the Brisker Rav Chazon Ish R Aron Kotler and Satmar Rov ZTL all saw with clarity will and always was to be oiker daas and destroy torah. its just now coming to light in ways that even the simpleton who refused to see it can see it! wake up and grow up! this was a Kidush Hashem and this misrepresentation is a Chilul Hashem if ever there was one!

  21. I must admit that I’m tempted to join in the boycott that some posters have called for of all Satmar food.
    However it would make things really difficult for me as I have had to be in Manhattan Hospitals many times and that would mean I would be stuck eating Airline food instead of the Hot Meals provided by Satmar Bikur Cholim to all Jewish People in need.
    (which is hard to understand, I mean is’nt it the MO and others who have real ahavas yisroel not Satmar?
    Don’t we all know that?
    So it’s really hard for me to understand how Satmar has this Multi-million dollar BC operation that takes care of all sick Jews with no questions asked, I mean they hate everyone don’t they?)

  22. #15 I have no שייכות with satmar I was taught the importance of loving every yid as if it would yourself or atleast someone you love ואהבת לרעך כמוך for whom do you think this posuk was said if not for me, you and every yid, give it some thought and i’m sure you’ll agree

    #19 for understandable reasons I prefer not to translate it in English to the public but it would be advisable to ask someone to translate it for you in private because it’s written with deep heart feelings

  23. Ben Levi,
    Satmar is known to help people “once” they are in Hospitals, Prisons or inder erd. Stop using this stupid coin of how much “chesed” satmar does.
    Stop making chillul Hashem in the court system….stop ripping shuls apart on simchas torah…stop fighting with your brothers we won’t need all your so called “chesed”

  24. Cb12 Member.
    You of course can have your opinion, it’s what Bechira is all about.
    However I do take issue with the term “we”.
    You can speak for yourself.
    I was in a position where I did need their chesed and they provided it with no questions asked, and fron what I saw in the non-jewish and irreligous people arounf me the Kiddush Hashem they made in the process was quite remarkable.
    But I do sincerley hope you never do need to come onto there chesed, and if you do it should only be because of good things.
    And rest assured they will provide it, with a smile.

  25. it is unfortunately well known, this ultra orthodox cult are very untruthful, far from the Torah and basic derech eretz. the chillul haShem they cause are both amongst Jewsand Gentiles. don’t be lured by their very frum code of dress and behavior.

  26. Ben Levi,
    Nice to see how your opinion and support can be bought with a bowl of soup and a sandwhich.
    I will just say again “we will not need sandwhiches in the hospitals if the courts don’t have kehilos fighting there. We will no need satmar soup if shul are respected and police don’t need to come in to keep the peace.
    Can you imagine “police in a shul”? Can you imagine fighing and “bouncers” in a Satmar shul on “Simchas Torah”. Which Torah are these “tzadikim” having “simchah” with.
    ENOUGH!!!
    The imams in Iran also blame Israel for all their troubles…its easier than cleaning up their own house.
    Satmar does the same.

  27. Dear Jews, has been excessively narrow pity on yourselves now and members of your household and all of Israel and stop talking about Israel as a holy Baal Shem Tov said late Jewish God loves the worst of what we love best of our son and to be taught the right every Jew to place our hands touch and look each degree our friend and disadvantage and need to remember an article smartphone “controversy once objectionable hundred Livelihoods” and look for answer and apologize for these words that your life is and it is approaching redemption complete we look forward to it so much and a few tears have been poured on the therefore it will not be easy these things just let your eyes do answer all together and thanks to that we will all be together to welcome the Messiah Tzdkino with great joy and is happy with us speedily, Amen

  28. mr moderator: you seem to feel like you are doing what the torah demands. but how can you besmirch an entire community? this has reached proportional levels and you credibility has fallen to an all time low.

  29. Satmar Chesed Is #1 By Them…… No One Beats Satmar With Chesed Almost All Organizations {I’m Not Satmar Just Saying}

  30. So it’s really hard for me to understand how Satmar has this Multi-million dollar BC operation that takes care of all sick Jews with no questions asked, I mean they hate everyone don’t they?)

    BH for the Chesed that Satmar does in hospital, they have huge man & woman power, their men do not keep to regular 8-6 working hours and the women are usually “at home types”. BH that they can help and supply needed food for those in hospitals. None of this chesed takes away from their hateful ranting and raving against the State of Israel, it is time to remove the “battlegear”, give up on the 3 Aggadita Oaths and move on.

  31. So they where caught what’s new
    There association with have neutra. karta is no secrete there hatred of isreal is no secrete. But they keep it quite and at an arms length so there collectors can still bring it in

  32. i kno who made this ziyuf from r chaim it was doen in eretz yisroel and they have nothing to do with satmer why dose ywn report on something they dont know im waiting for a responce

  33. Moderator:

    No one is interested in your “exposures”! You already exposed this forgery before the protest. Who cares who did it? (And I am definitely not Satmar). Lets get back to the business of being mevatel the gzeiros, everyone in their own way. Instead of attacking a protest which already took place and fueling machlokes, you should take advantage of your position in the media to try to explain the positive sides of the protest so that maybe something good will come out of it.

  34. I always thought Satmar was a long distance cousin to Hamas. You see Hamas whole point is also built on hate etc… However they also do lots of “Chessed”. That is why they got elected in the elections. They give money to the poor etc…

    Satmar’s main point is also built on hate. Again they do lots of chessed too.

    So Satmar like ‘%Hamas%’.

    Any religion based on hate is doomed to fail. Just look at how many satmars leave the community.

  35. #46 mylogic: You are mixing Satmar up with the MO RCA crowd. The mo are full of hate. The Satmars have little OTD issue compared to the MO who have a 50% OTD rate.

  36. ujm says:
    June 11, 2013 at 10:02 am

    #46 mylogic: You are mixing Satmar up with the MO RCA crowd. The mo are full of hate. The Satmars have little OTD issue compared to the MO who have a 50% OTD rate.

    go to any OTD group and see that what you say is simply false.

    It is the other way around, very few MO and mostly from Chassidesh or yeshiva world.

  37. peakman #48:

    Please speak to Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, a famous Modern Orthodox rabbi, and he will tell you — as he has published — that 50% of Modern Orthodox teenagers are going off the derech. By the M.O. a “half-Shabbos” R”L means they text on Shabbos. The MO have a far far larger issue than any other Orthodox group. OTOH, by the Litvaks and Chasidim, the OTD rate is less than 1%.

  38. I see two comments which horrify me:

    “But if it to further Hashem’s will it is okay.” and

    “Everything is muttar for the shita hakdosah.”

    I hope these people are using satire. Otherwise, they are just despicable, lying, immoral people who have no business commenting on a Jewish website. Attitudes like this make me very angry. Hashem is not served by liars and thieves.

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